as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull
the film's clichéd story of an underdog who overcomes insurmountable odds to win
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Recent Examples of clichéd
Honking horns and screeching tires used to be a cliched scene-setting device for writers describing Paris.
—
Marie Patino, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
A day to profile that cliched ‘Manchester United DNA’.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The negotiation chatter between Sam and train authorities is tightly intercut with Marsha confronting danger in a cabin in the woods, a rather cliched side story that doesn’t add much.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
There are only states of being — all stories have become obsolete and cliched, and have resolved themselves.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In one rather cliched moment, Springsteen is buying his first new car.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Zod’s rages sound like an angry man threatening someone from the other side of a parking lot, not the cliched snarling of too many comic-book movie villains.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2025
The confident smile the until then timid Giulio wears on his face as a result is equally cliched.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025
Marie Patino, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
A day to profile that cliched ‘Manchester United DNA’.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The negotiation chatter between Sam and train authorities is tightly intercut with Marsha confronting danger in a cabin in the woods, a rather cliched side story that doesn’t add much.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
There are only states of being — all stories have become obsolete and cliched, and have resolved themselves.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In one rather cliched moment, Springsteen is buying his first new car.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Zod’s rages sound like an angry man threatening someone from the other side of a parking lot, not the cliched snarling of too many comic-book movie villains.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2025
The confident smile the until then timid Giulio wears on his face as a result is equally cliched.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clichéd
Adjective
-
Kelly Enders-Tharp, a three-time surrogate and education and experience specialist at Growing Generations, explains that surrogates are often stereotyped, or that their backgrounds are misrepresented.—
Kris Ann Valdez,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Later, Lenape artist Joe Baker places cutout photographs of his ancestors over the stereotyped images of Native Americans found in the wallpaper.—
Tom McDonough,
Artforum,
1 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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They have been seen directing snaking security lines and passing out water bottles to tired travelers.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Step in when someone’s tired or needs a break.—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Wise knew that these hackneyed tools would get him nowhere.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Few parents can follow the hackneyed wisdom of living in the moment.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Hughes had been asked to write for trite Hollywood productions like Sol Lesser’s 1939 film Way Down South.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
-
That’s all well and good, but the series still needs a sturdy narrative to hold it all together, rather than ping-ponging between random subjects offering trite, emotionally hollow morality lessons.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clichéd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9d. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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